[3] Called "a flexible and expert sextet" by The New York Times,[4] the ensemble was formed as an agile group with a set instrumentation to take on touring and recording projects[5] for Bang on a Can that would not be feasible for the organization's massive "Marathon" concert productions.

[citation needed] They appeared as guest stars in the season 17 episode of Arthur, "Binky's Music Madness", with Evan Ziporyn and Julia Wolfe as themselves.

[6] In 2005 the All-Stars were named "Ensemble of the Year" by the Musical America International Directory of the Performing Arts.

[7] The ensemble has been heralded as "the country's most important vehicle for contemporary music" by the San Francisco Chronicle.

[8] The very first release of the Cantaloupe Music catalog, the All-Stars' Renegade Heaven was ranked the #1 album of 2001 by New York Times classical music editor Allan Kozinn,[9] and their recording of Terry Riley's In C made the 2001 New York Times top ten lists in both classical and pop.